Church planting in existing churches?

Al Mohler blogged today on a subject that is increasingly interesting to both me and Kimberly. He discussed church planting and revitalizing older churches. Kim and I don't envision ourselves church-planting in the future, but perhaps we would serve as church-revitalizers. Over the past couple months, this thought has been stirring in us and giving us much to talk about and consider. We see many churches in America that need to be reinvigorated with the gospel, with pastors and lay leaders committed to preaching the whole counsel of God from the pulpit and to living out and sharing the gospel in the community of the church.

What are Calvin and Teddy Dean up to...

Calvin has done well potty-training. He makes it to the potty more often than not and he wakes up dry from bedtime and naps. The only accidents recently have been when Mama forgets to take bathroom breaks when we are out and about. Last weekend, he wet himself while we were at the home of our friends. When I asked why he didn't use the potty, he said, "Michael and Marie have a potty at their house?" There's more to teach him than I ever thought.

We are amazed at all Calvin catches. He recently watched a video called "Timothy Goes to School," a cartoon that shows what school is like, and what sorts of things kids learn at school. This particular video showed one boy making a volcano. I walked into the kitchen two days ago and Calvin was getting into the refrigerator. I asked him what he was looking for. He said, "Baking soda." "Baking soda!" I replied. "Why do you want baking soda?" Calvin told me, "I need baking soda and lemon juice to make a volcano." After making sure he knew he was not to go in the refrigerator without permission, what do you think we did? We made a volcano.

Teddy Dean is standing with the help of a chair or the couch. He is very close to walking. He is also turning into a destruction machine. He and Calvin love to destroy the architectural masterpieces that I make with blocks. Teddy Dean squeals in delight as he hammers blow after blow upon my pyramids, houses, streets, etc.

Every day is an unbelievable adventure in the Schmidt house. Calvin knows where I am going based upon my attire. If I am going to work, he will say, "Are you going to Macaronis daddy?" Then I will ask him if he wants me to go to work or stay home with him. I would love to tell you that it is a 100%, "Stay home with me daddy!", but the truth is that I am only batting .500 on this one.

Ken's reading update

I am in the midst of reading numerous books. My most enjoyable reading is from the Bible. I am reading and meditating on the books of Colossians and James. Great reminders of the supremacy of Christ (Colossians) and the reality of living faith (James) and how they impact the way we live our lives. As far as seminary reading, I am really enjoying the reading for my church history class. We have been focusing on the Patristic period (~ AD 90-150) and the Ante-Nicene period (~ AD 150-325). The primary sources are a tough read but very profitable. We are also reading a couple of secondary sources that are very readable and factual. The two books are: The Story of Christianity by Justo Gonzalez and Historical Theology: An Introduction

Who is Jesus?

I had the opportunity to teach in our Sunday School class yesterday. We are studying the Gospel of Matthew. My text was Matthew 3:1-4:11. I was reminded once again that how you answer the question that I posted in the title to this post determines your life here on earth and for eternity. "Who is Jesus?" Please read Matthew 3:1-4:11. The Bible very clearly tells us that Jesus is God. John the Baptist testifies to this truth (3:1-12), God the Father testifies (3:13-17), and Jesus testifies as well (4:1-11). Jesus Christ is God and that makes all the difference. If you are a Christian, remember this truth and submit every part of your life to him. If you are not a Christian, please, pray to God and ask him to reveal the truth to you about Jesus Christ.

Reading

It's a joy to read with Calvin. We go through stacks of books every day, and loads of library books each week. Ken and I love reading, so we are tickled pink at how much Cal likes it. We allow him to bring books to bed ("Only board books, Mama. No paper books. I ruin paper books."). We will often find him still looking through his books late at night.

Potty Training

Today I did intense potty-training by putting Cal in underwear for the entire day. He was excited about earning Lightning McQueen stickers on his potty chart, and he likes his big boy underwear. He had as many accidents as he did successes today. I'm tired. Any volunteers to potty-train Teddy for me in two years?

Christianity and Liberalism

I just finished reading a Christian classic, Christianity and Liberalism by J. Gresham Machen. It was written in 1923 in response to the liberal threat to Christianity. The liberal element of Christianity was denying doctrines such as the inerrancy of the Bible, the deity of Jesus Christ, the exclusivity of the gospel and the nature of the atonement. Machen forcefully argues that liberal Christianity, with its denial of these foundational doctrines, is not Christianity at all. Although written in 1923 it reads as though it were written today. Every doctrine that was challenged in 1923 is being challenged now. The only difference is that instead of veiled objections, the opponents of Christianity boldly voice their objections to Christianity. I highly recommend this book, it is now on my top ten list of books that every Christian should read.

Snippets of Daily Life with Calvin and Teddy

Calvin continues to delight us with the funny things he says. I've been getting a kick out of his possessive pronouns lately. Here's what I mean:

"Mama, I want to sit on yours lap."

"We go to ours new home."

"I found yours sneakers, Mama!"

Tonight, Ken picked up Calvin for a hug before bedtime. Calvin said, "You are big like Goliath." (Ken wants all of you to know that he has lost a lot of weight and is certainly not big like Goliath.)

Teddy is a beautiful chunk of chub. His legs are like tree trunks and his arms like sausages. He's starting to pull up to standing on his own, and is trying to creep along the edge of furniture. He likes to chase Calvin around the apartment.

I was out with the boys yesterday, and a stranger asked me, "Are they twins?" That was a first.

Calvin has a new cow costume for this fall. He likes to wear it while singing the Wiggles song, "I eat grass and I moo all day. I'm a cow."

Cal's Cars collection roams throughout our home, getting "lined-up," as he says. Anything from the movie Cars is still the thing in his life.